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History of Tuscaloosa’s water system

By Lydia Seabol Staff Writer

Published: Monday, July 31, 2006 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 30, 2006 at 11:00 p.m.

Today, many environmental groups like the Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Friends of Hurricane Creek watch carefully over local bodies of water to try to ensure the environment isn’t being polluted, or at least to try to reduce the risk.

But 48 years ago, Tuscaloosa’s sewage pipes all led toward the Black Warrior River, where the sewage was mixed with rainwater before it was dumped directly into the river. Some of these lines still exist and can be seen from the water if you know where to look. They’ve been capped off for decades but stand as old symbols of what used to be.

In 1958, the city built the Tuscaloosa Wastewater treatment plant, which used a relatively simple treatment process compared with today’s complex and high-tech process.

The first part of the process is still the same. Sewage comes to the plant to what is called a head works, which screens out any plastic, paper and trash in the wastewater. The wastewater travels to a primary clarifer, a large tank where solid waste and sand sink to the bottom and fecal matter is caught in a screen.

Until the wastewater treatment plant was expanded in 1974, that was the end of the treatment process and the filtered discharge would go into the Black Warrior River.

The modern process

Today, an average of 17 million gallons of waste is treated at the plant each day, although the plant is capable of treating up to 30 million gallons of waste daily. For every 1 million gallons of wastewater entering the plant, about 200 gallons is waste material that must be removed from the waste stream.

The first steps of the treatment process are the same as in 1958. Several stages have been added, in 1974, 1992 and 2004, to ensure that the treated wastewater that is being put back into the river is free of harmful bacterial pathogens and residual chlorine.

“We are doing pollution control, so we can discharge the waste in an environmentally friendly manner," said Jimmy Junkin, manager of the plant. “At only 6 or 8 parts [bacteria] per million, the treated water is a lot cleaner than water in most creeks."

After the solid wastes have settled and separated from the wastewater, the wastewater goes to a splitter box, which divides the liquid into two aeration basins, or what the plant calls “trains." Air is blown into the water in the basins. Bacteria, which are used to “eat" waste particles that remain in water, turn into clumps, or floc. The water then goes to a final clarifer where the floc of bacteria settles and is cleared by a slow-moving arm-like lever.

The remaining water flows under a series of ultraviolet lights that penetrates and destroys the DNA of the bacteria. The remaining water then travels through pipes to the Black Warrior River.

Before 2004, the city used chlorine to disinfect the water. But the city switched to the UV technology because of concerns about the health risks associated with chlorine.

Junkin said using the lights is a much cleaner, safer process than using chlorine.

“Although the one down side is that our power bill is about $100,000 more a year," Junkin said.

The sludge and solid waste that is collected from the primary clarifer is heated in anaerobic digesters. This breaks the solids down to methane, carbon dioxide and water.

The methane is recycled to heat water at the plant, but Junkin said he hopes the plant will produce enough methane one day to sell it to companies like Alagasco.

The remaining solid waste is taken to a dewatering system, which is basically a large rotating belt that presses the water from the waste. The solid matter is dumped at the Coker municipal landfill, although the city is considering hauling it to local coal mines to use as soil conditioner. Junkin said it could “re-vegitate" the area by putting minerals back into the ground.

<p>Today, many environmental groups like the Black Warrior Riverkeeper and the Friends of Hurricane Creek watch carefully over local bodies of water to try to ensure the environment isn’t being polluted, or at least to try to reduce the risk.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>But 48 years ago, Tuscaloosa’s sewage pipes all led toward the Black Warrior River, where the sewage was mixed with rainwater before it was dumped directly into the river. Some of these lines still exist and can be seen from the water if you know where to look. They’ve been capped off for decades but stand as old symbols of what used to be.</p><p>In 1958, the city built the Tuscaloosa Wastewater treatment plant, which used a relatively simple treatment process compared with today’s complex and high-tech process.</p><p>The first part of the process is still the same. Sewage comes to the plant to what is called a head works, which screens out any plastic, paper and trash in the wastewater. The wastewater travels to a primary clarifer, a large tank where solid waste and sand sink to the bottom and fecal matter is caught in a screen.</p><p>Until the wastewater treatment plant was expanded in 1974, that was the end of the treatment process and the filtered discharge would go into the Black Warrior River.</p><p>The modern process</p><p>Today, an average of 17 million gallons of waste is treated at the plant each day, although the plant is capable of treating up to 30 million gallons of waste daily. For every 1 million gallons of wastewater entering the plant, about 200 gallons is waste material that must be removed from the waste stream.</p><p>The first steps of the treatment process are the same as in 1958. Several stages have been added, in 1974, 1992 and 2004, to ensure that the treated wastewater that is being put back into the river is free of harmful bacterial pathogens and residual chlorine.</p><p>We are doing pollution control, so we can discharge the waste in an environmentally friendly manner," said Jimmy Junkin, manager of the plant. At only 6 or 8 parts [bacteria] per million, the treated water is a lot cleaner than water in most creeks."</p><p>After the solid wastes have settled and separated from the wastewater, the wastewater goes to a splitter box, which divides the liquid into two aeration basins, or what the plant calls trains." Air is blown into the water in the basins. Bacteria, which are used to eat" waste particles that remain in water, turn into clumps, or floc. The water then goes to a final clarifer where the floc of bacteria settles and is cleared by a slow-moving arm-like lever.</p><p>The remaining water flows under a series of ultraviolet lights that penetrates and destroys the DNA of the bacteria. The remaining water then travels through pipes to the Black Warrior River.</p><p>Before 2004, the city used chlorine to disinfect the water. But the city switched to the UV technology because of concerns about the health risks associated with chlorine.</p><p>Junkin said using the lights is a much cleaner, safer process than using chlorine.</p><p>Although the one down side is that our power bill is about $100,000 more a year," Junkin said.</p><p>The sludge and solid waste that is collected from the primary clarifer is heated in anaerobic digesters. This breaks the solids down to methane, carbon dioxide and water.</p><p>The methane is recycled to heat water at the plant, but Junkin said he hopes the plant will produce enough methane one day to sell it to companies like Alagasco.</p><p>The remaining solid waste is taken to a dewatering system, which is basically a large rotating belt that presses the water from the waste. The solid matter is dumped at the Coker municipal landfill, although the city is considering hauling it to local coal mines to use as soil conditioner. Junkin said it could re-vegitate" the area by putting minerals back into the ground.</p>